St Helens Borough Council is taking part in a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority initiative that uses recycling trucks to identify areas with poor mobile phone coverage.

The region-wide survey allows residents to check mobile signal strength at home, during their commute, and at work before committing to a mobile contract.
As part of the scheme, mobile technology specialists Streetwave will install monitoring devices in recycling trucks and road sweepers.
These devices will continuously assess mobile signal strength and data speeds from the UK’s four main network providers during their usual rounds.
Cllr Keith Laird, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for People, Performance and IT, said: ‘In today’s world, mobile connectivity is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. Whether it’s for work or going about our daily lives, a reliable mobile signal is vital.
‘This initiative is a smart, practical way to identify coverage gaps so we can work towards closing them for good – helping us move closer to our goal of becoming one of the best digitally connected regions in the country.’
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